Poem Blinkered Friends

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Blinkered Friends Funny looks that just aren’t funny at all Tutting noises when they see or hear you Laughing when you struggle or fall Bullies don’t have to beat you black and blue Some don’t even know they do it While witnessing friends never manage to admit To turning a blind eye And sitting on the fence Unable to ask or tell themselves why They can’t bring themselves to spring to your defence While the bully takes their neutrality As permission to carry on. Those you turn to for help have gone Over to seeing the abuse as harmless fun Desensitised and brainwashed into seeing no harm done Right under their noses Their glasses are tinted in all shades of roses To the point at which you ask for support Trying to explain how you feel and report The situation you find yourself in Struggling with anxiety, struggling to explain, Your friends close ranks and turn their backs Saying you exaggerate the nature of the bully’s attacks While sucking up to him at every turn When will they see? When will they learn? You try fighting back, or getting some proof Your friends are shocked, angry, they go through the roof But at you, rather than at the bully stressing you out By accusing him, you end up accusing them too You know they know, and always knew What was going right before their eyes But they hid away behind self-comforting lies Like 'he’s not so bad', or 'it was just meant as a joke If you get to know him, he’s quite a decent bloke... You’re the one daring to rock the boat We’ve put your behaviour to a group vote And we can never invite you or talk to you again Sorry if our decision causes you grief and pain But we like the chap who did all this to you We can’t possibly like him and like you too Goodbye forever from your once dear friends This is where our loyalty to you ends. So get your things and go away While we celebrate your bully’s happy birthday. You hear ‘He’s a jolly good fellow’ as you leave Tears form and your heart begins to grieve But you realise you are better off out of such a toxic situation Your despair gives way to bittersweet elation. It comes gradually or like a religious revelation. You reach an epiphany, a moment of enlightenment and glee. You walk out with self respect, and some sense of pride and dignity They were just not worth it and now you are free! Arthur Chappell.